Death of the Creative Pause
by Miki SaxonLet’s start with a short personal quiz.
A. Do you consider yourself creative?
B. Do you
- love your iPad;
- wouldn’t be caught dead without your smartphone;
- can’t conceive of spending time without a music source;
- still follow TV shows, whether on TV or online;
- all of the above, often simultaneously?
What if B interferes or even cancels A?
What if the springboard for creativity and creative problem solving is boredom; a mind free of distractions that can wander untethered?
…a phenomenon that’s been identified by Edward de Bono, the legendary creative thinker. He calls it the “creative pause.” (…)The creative pause allows the space for your mind to drift, to imagine and to shift, opening it up to new ways of seeing.
From HBS’ Jim Heskett’s research question on deep thinking to my own comments on the value of silence, the need for undistracted time and the resulting creativity is well documented.
To be or not to be distracted is an individual free choice and can’t be dictated by others, but it is always wise to look at the consequences of one’s chosen actions.
Distracted driving kills people.
Distracted thinking kills creativity and innovation.
Flickr image credit: MacintoshDo
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